1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to load carriers. More specifically, the invention relates to hitch-mounted load carriers often referred to as being of the swing-away type.
2. Background of the Invention
The attachment of load carriers at rearward positions of transport vehicles, especially at hitch-mount receivers, is known, and particularly with respect to sports equipment carriers for bicycles and the like. Diamond-style extendible hitch mount carriers, as well as two-arm swing-away carriers, are varieties that are known in the load carrier industries. An example of such a diamond-style configuration is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,954 issued to Bloemer for a Pivoting Extensible Rear Hitch Attachment for Equipment Carrier. Examples of such two-arm swing-away types of carriers are found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,717 issued to Joder for a Pivoting Sports Equipment Carrier and U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,496 issued to Sumida et al. for a Shiftable Load Carrier and Trailer Hitch Attachment.
From these examples, it may be appreciated that pivot linkages, and often multiple pivot linkages, can be employed to accommodate the extensible or swing-away feature of the carrier. A result of using the several linkages, however, is that a cumulative degree of looseness or xe2x80x9cslopxe2x80x9d is interposed into the overall carrier""s structure. A consequence is that the upright load carrying component has a tendency to xe2x80x9cbow downxe2x80x9d away from the back of the carrying vehicle. The degree to which this occurs depends both on the nature of the pivot connection(s) and the load weight. Obviously, the greater the magnitude of the load and the degree of slop in the connection, the more the vertical orientation of the upright load supporting member will be allowed to bow down or tilt away from the back side of the carrying vehicle.
This tilted orientation often inhibits securement of the upright load supporting member to the stationary portion of the carrier, which is normally directly connected to the vehicle, for establishing a traveling mode of the carrier. This is particularly true if a fixed upright post is utilized off of the stationary portion of the carrier which is intended to be oriented substantially parallel to the upright load supporting member for releasable securement therebetween. In such a configuration, a fixed upright post is attached to the stinger portion of the carrier which is adapted for direct connection to the carrying vehicle""s hitch receiver. Ideally, the fixed upright post would be located adjacent and parallel to the upright load supporting member in a traveling configuration. As a result, however, of the xe2x80x9cbowing downxe2x80x9d of the upright load supporting member away from the vehicle, and consequently away from the fixed upright post, those members are no longer substantially parallel and secured connection therebetween can be difficult, if not impossible.
In another aspect, some known diamond-style and/or swing-away hitch mount carriers provide an operator manipulatable handle for affecting securement and release of the upright load supporting member from the fixed upright post and this handle is positioned at the back side of the load carrier away from the carrying vehicle. A detrimental result of this arrangement is that the handle is oftentimes located amongst parts of the items, typically bicycles, that are mounted to that carrying member. This poses difficulty for the operator because the handle is not easily accessible because the wheels and tires of the forward-most bicycle; that is, the one nearest the vehicle are often positioned at substantially the same location as the handle.
This drawback is further enhanced by traditional configurations which attempt to place the handle as low as possible so that the point of connection between the fixed upright post and the upright load supporting member is as close as possible to the effective tilt axis between these two upright components; the logic being that the lower the connection, the more parallel and closely oriented the members will be to one another. For the user, however, this low position is usually inconvenient and uncomfortable which ultimately makes operation difficult.
In view of the above described deficiencies associated with diamond-style and two-arm swing-away type hitch mount carriers, the present invention has been developed to alleviate these drawbacks and provide further benefits to the user. These enhancements and benefits are described in greater detail hereinbelow with respect to several alternative embodiments of the present invention.
The present invention incorporates several features that minimize the disadvantages outlined above which are common both to known diamond-style extendible carriers and to known two-arm swing-away type carriers. Among them is a repositioning of the operator handle, as well as a reconfiguration of the securement arrangement between the two upright components of the carrier. Referring to the first aspect, the handled portion of the securement assembly is repositioned from the rearward side of the carrier to the forward side of the two upright members. This locates the handle in an area that is always clear and accessible because a fixed space is established between the backside of the carrying vehicle and the forward side of the load carrier, if by nothing else, by the length of the stinger which connects the carrier to the vehicle. The manner in which this buffer space is fixed and maintained will be defined in greater detail hereinbelow; but it should be appreciated that at a minimum, it is desired to avoid contact between carried items (bicycles) and the back of the carrying vehicle.
The securement assembly has been adapted so that misalignment (non-parallel orientation) between the two upright members does not affect the operation of the securement mechanism. Generally speaking, this is accomplished through the utilization of two accommodating features. The first of those two features is the provision of an aperture through the stationary upright member or post that is slotted. In this manner, the vertical position of a securement member such as a threaded bolt can be variable with respect to the fixed upright post. The elongate slotted configuration also accommodates deviations from horizontal of the long axis of the bolt. Such a deviation from horizontal can be required for proper alignment of the bolt with a threaded receiver, typically in the form of a nut or similarly interiorly threaded member. As shown, such a threaded receiver is provided in the upright load supporting member. As described above, the upright load supporting member is often xe2x80x9cbowed downxe2x80x9d from a strict vertical orientation into a slightly tilted back position due to the utilization of the several pivot connections in the extensible or swing-away connection.
A further beneficial consequence of this adaptation to the securement arrangement is that the operator actuated handle no longer needs to be located so closely to the lower ends of the two uprights members where they are most proximate and parallelly oriented. This is a benefit to the user because one does not have to reach down so far to operate the handle of the securement mechanism; therefore, operation by the user is more comfortable and efficient.
As may be appreciated from the description above concerning the xe2x80x9cbowing downxe2x80x9d aspect of the upright load supporting member, the central axis of the nut carried in the upright post and with which the engaging bolt must be aligned may deviate from a strict horizontal and/or aligned orientation. Therefore, to avoid cross-threading, the long axis of the engaging bolt must be first properly aligned with the long axis of the nut to assure that threaded engagement is accomplished without detrimental cross-threading. Therefore, in addition to utilizing the slotted feature described above, the threaded bolt is specially selected to have a rounded nose, as well as a distal end region that is not threaded. Instead, the tip portion of the bolt has a smooth surface and is dimensioned to have an outer diameter just slightly less than the inner thread diameter of the nut. These features accommodate insertion of the leading smooth portion of the bolt as a guide into the nut for establishing proper alignment before thread engagement occurs with the trailing back region of the bolt. Of course, the opposite end of the bolt from the smoothed leading end carries the handle actuatable by the operator.
As intimated above, a complimentary feature of the present invention includes stops that are provided to prevent the carrier, in any configuration, from swinging sufficiently forward into positions that permit engagement of either the carrier or its load (bicycles) with the back of the carrying vehicle. This can be contrasted with existing diamond-style and/or swing-away type carriers in which such situations are permitted and damage can occur to either or both of the carrying vehicle and the carried items; even to the carrier itself if strikes are of sufficient magnitude.
The beneficial effects described above apply generally to the exemplary devices and mechanisms disclosed herein for a diamond-style hitch mount carrier. The specific structures through which these benefits are delivered will be described in detail hereinbelow.